The present invention relates to a sleeve for installation on a reel used to wind metal strip into coil form, and particularly to an elastomeric sleeve having metal inserts adapted to lie adjacent to a gripper opening of the reel to prevent flat spots and creases from occurring in the strip over the gripper opening as the strip is wound into coil form on the reel.
In the production of steel strip in coil form, the strip is commonly wound onto a segmented reel that can be expanded and contracted to permit alternate winding of the strip into coil form and removal of the wound coil from the reel. When segmented reels are used, having a gripper segment for receiving an end of the strip, flat spots and creases often occur in the first few wraps of the coil at the location of the gripper segment. The flat spots and creases are more prominent on relatively thin gage strip and are especially undesirable on strip for automotive applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,276, Gebhardt, et al. discloses a one piece cylindrical sleeve of compressible material for preventing creases in metal strip wound into coil form on a reel. The sleeve has a thin easily compressible outer elastomeric sleeve bonded to a thicker, harder more rigid inner sleeve. The dual hardness compound sleeve generally prevents creases yet retains its shape for easy removal of a coil wound on the reel. However, when the end of the strip has a substantial burr due to use of a dull shear blade, creases still occur when the strip is wrapped over the strip end having the burr thereon. Applicant's invention eliminates this problem because the end of the strip is hidden within the gripper slot. The reference sleeve does not have a longitudinal opening mateable with a gripper segment opening of the reel. The sleeve of Applicant's invention has such a longitudinal opening with metal inserts embedded in the sleeve at the longitudinal edges forming the opening therein. Another disadvantage of the reference sleeve is that a belt wrapper must be used to guide the strip as it is wound onto the sleeve. Use of a belt wrapper is not required with Applicant's invention.
It is known to provide a reel having a gripper segment opening with a plurality of metal adaptor segments each having elastomeric material bonded to the metal segments. The adaptor segments are attached to the reel in order to increase the diameter of the reel for winding coils having a larger inside diameter. The adaptor segments do not have metal inserts embedded in the elastomeric material so as to form a rigid surface at the opposed outer edges of the sleeve adjoining the ripper segment opening as in Applicant's invention.